Search the Internet          Tips  Indo-Pak Summit

Pak apologises for journalists' misbehaviour

P Jayaram in New Delhi

Pakistan has apologised for the "embarrassing behaviour" by some of its journalists towards India's external affairs ministry spokeswoman during the Agra summit, a diplomat said on Wednesday.

The Pakistan High Commission offered the apology to Nirupama Rao after India took up the matter with the mission.

A group of Pakistani journalists accosted and heckled Rao after her midnight briefing at the end of the summit on Monday, demanding to know why President Pervez Musharraf was not allowed to address a press conference.

"We were so embarrassed. We have apologised to her," Kamran Ali Khan, minister (press) at the high commission, said.

"I feel bad because she was so kind and had helped us in every way," he said.

Khan said only one journalist was involved in the incident while the others merely followed him "to see what was happening".

A number of Pakistani journalists had also apologised to Rao, he said.

An external affairs ministry official said both Khan and Pakistan's Principal Information Officer Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal, who was in Agra during the summit, had personally apologised to Rao.

External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh referred to the incident at his press conference in Agra on Tuesday, describing it as "regrettable and condemnable".

Asked if any action would be taken against the journalists concerned, he said, "They are from your fraternity. I don't want to tell the media how to behave."

Indo-Asian News Service

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report